Seychellois students to study medicine in China under new agreement

The Chair and President of the Guangdong Hospital Association Dr. Guohong Zeng (left) and the deputy chief executive of the Local Health Care Agency, Danny Louange (right) signing the agreement on Friday. (Patrick Joubert, Seychelles News Agency)

(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychellois students will be able to study medicine in China following the signing of an agreement Friday between the Seychelles Hospital and the Guangdong Hospital Association, says a top official.

Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, will be working with China to develop training, research and exchange programs in the medical field, the agreement says.

The deputy chief executive of the Local Health Care Agency, Danny Louange, said, “We are also looking at the possibility to send our students over there to study medicine and even for their specialisation.”

Louange added that the local hospital will also be looking for Chinese specialists to assist in certain areas.

“We want specialists such as acupuncturists and physiotherapists to come to Seychelles as volunteers, but we pay for all their expenses when they arrive in the country,” he said.

The Seychelles Hospital already has links with the Guangdong Hospital Association and in the past many medical professionals who are members of the association have worked as volunteers at the local hospital.

Aside of opportunities for Seychellois students to study in China the island nations is also keen on looking for Chinese specialists to assist in certain areas. (Patrick Joubert, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Louange said, “Exchanges that we want to have with these hospitals are in different forms such as training courses and research programs that they offer in their English speaking institutions.”

“Students from Guangdong Hospital Association in different medical domains can also gain some exposure here in Seychelles,” added Louange.

The Chair and President of the Guangdong Hospital Association Dr. Guohong Zeng, said, “Areas of possible training program includes nursing, residency, fellowships, post-graduate and clinical studies … we believe that our training program will be beneficial for both sides.”

The Guangdong Hospital Association is a non-profit organisation that owns about 600 hospitals in China. Their members volunteer in different medical fields in the Guangdong Province in south China.

After the signing of the agreement, the delegation from the Guangdong Hospital Association was given a tour of the Seychelles Hospital located in the central district of Mont Fleuri, on Mahe, the main island.